Plymouth Pilgrims ready for summer league debut

We’re entering the seventh-inning stretch for the Plymouth Pilgrims as they begin their maiden voyage in the New England College Baseball League. The roster is just about set and interest seems to have been piqued around town, so now comes the matter of getting the baseball diamond at Forges Field in Plymouth ready to host some of the top college baseball players from around the country this summer.

We’re entering the seventh-inning stretch for the Plymouth Pilgrims as they begin their maiden voyage in the New England College Baseball League. The roster is just about set and interest seems to have been piqued around town, so now comes the matter of getting the baseball diamond at Forges Field in Plymouth ready to host some of the top college baseball players from around the country this summer.

“Right now, our biggest project is getting the field prepared and ready to go,” General Manager Chris Patsos said. “We’re drawing some players from high-level college baseball programs, so they are used to playing under top conditions. We want to put something together where the fans, as well as the players, will want to come back to.”

In the coming days an electric scoreboard will arrive at the field, grandstands put in place and new dugouts and bullpens installed for the upcoming season.

“Things will definitely be ramped up in the coming days,” said Patsos, who expects to have as many as 1,000 people in attendance on opening night. “We’ve got a lot of work in front of us, but it’s all going to work out and we’ll be ready to go on opening day.

“Once we get rolling, we’d be thrilled to see 300 to 500 people each night,” he added. “I think things will pick up for us when school lets out.”

The Pilgrims open the season on the road at Laconia, N.H., Thursday, June 6. The home opener is the next night against the Mystic Schooners, and while there is still some hard work to be done and late nights spent planning between now and then, Patsos expects everything to be perfect for opening night.

The players will be under the watch of Manager Greg Zackrison, who for the last 11 seasons has been the assistant baseball coach at Massasoit Community College. He has experience in summer ball as an assistant coach in the NECBL and was on the bench for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League for two seasons.

“The players are here to showcase their talents, and my job is to help them do that in the best way possible. You’re not reinventing the wheel with these players. What you’re doing is putting a polish on them for the next level,” Zackrison said. “Everyone in this league is a talented baseball player. It’s my job to put a little more shine on that talent to get them noticed. They’ll have a chance to perform in front of some big crowds, as well as some pro scouts, and hopefully they’ll get noticed.”

All the players who are not involved in NCAA tournament play are expected to be in town Monday for the start of the pre-season camp. The summer season is designed to be somewhat of a grind for the players, who’ll play 44 games over about an eight-week period.

Page 2 of 2 - “The scouts want to see which players can handle playing every day when they’re a little tired and beat up, and who needs to figure out how to do it,” Zackrison explained. “If they come in complacent, that’s not going to help them. It’s not a vacation. They’re here to work on all aspects of their game as they try to take their skills to the next level.”

While he won’t be able to get a real handle on things until everyone gets together, Zackrison has a pretty good idea of what the Pilgrims are going to look like this summer.

“I think we will hit the ball pretty well. It looks like the offense will be a strength right from the beginning. It looks like a lot of the hitters are very good at putting the bat on the ball, so we should be a team that doesn’t strike out much,” he said. “The pitching will be a work in progress, but all of the pitching should be a little ahead of the offense in the beginning as the hitters get used to the wooden bats once again.”

Patsos said the pitching staff could be bolstered by some more player signings this week.

Besides playing the games, Patsos said the Pilgrims organization is committed to having the team and its players become a part of the community. Many of the players will be staying with local host families this summer, and the team will be involved in youth camps with both town leagues as well as the Recreation Department.

“We are going to be a community-based team,” Patsos emphasized. “We will be going to the elementary schools to read to the kids, and we’ll be going to Jordan Hospital for visits over there. These players have been given a lot on their way to becoming the baseball players they are, and because of that, you need to find a way to give some of it back.

“We’re always searching out ways to help the community. If anyone has an idea of how we can do that, we’ll always listen. Anything we can do to give back, we’ll be there.”

For more information on the Pilgrims, they have a website at www.pilgrimsbaseball.com.

E-Mail the reporter at dwolcott@wickedlocal.com and follow him on Twitter, @davidwolcott1.